Systems and methods for emergency and response and tracking of subjects in closed (defined) environments, such as warehouses, a manufacturing facilities, refineries, schools, business campuses, cruise ships, transportation hubs, government facilities, military installations, conference centers, medical facilities, correctional facilities, hotels and mines have been around in some form of another since the advent of such environments. Moreover, such systems have benefited from technologies such as global position satellite and cellular services. Nevertheless, just a brief survey of the news indicates that improvements in the field are needed.
On May 26, 2015, Fontana, Calif. deputies placed a public high school on lockdown after receiving report of two male juveniles who were seen possibly in possession of a handgun. Deputies said the two students were not found in possession of a weapon. However, they were transported to the Fontana Sheriffs Station for further investigation as a precautionary measure and the school remained in lockdown until authorities searched all areas of the school.
On Jun. 14, 2013, a Frenchtown Township factory in Monroe County Mich. went into lockdown after an employee made several threats to show up and shoot people. The suspect was found at a nearby hotel and arrested on charges of making threats and inciting a panic. Officials at the factory reported the suspect made threats to come in and shoot up the place.
On May 13, 2014, an explosion at a coal mine in Soma, Manisa, Turkey, caused an underground mine fire, which burned until May 15, 2014. In total, 301 people were killed. The mine, operated by coal producer Soma Kömür İletmeleri A. ., suffered an explosion. The explosion occurred during the mine's shift change, and 787 workers were underground at the time.
As these incidents illustrate, the need for cost effective systems and methods for tracking a plurality of subjects continues unabated. While GPS tracking through smart phones or similar devices shows some promise, GPS doesn't work inside buildings, which is a problem when trying to track subjects in buildings, especially multi-story buildings or underground situations. In such situations, the ability to specify the location of subjects is not possible using GPS. This is a problem that firefighters, police and rescue personnel face every day when they enter a facility. Moreover, school shootings, such as the above identified examples, appear to be on a rise.
Thus, given the above background, what is need in the art are improved systems and methods for tracking a plurality of subjects in a closed environment.